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Six Players Suspended for Diuretics

Six N.F.L. players were suspended Tuesday for the final four games of the regular season for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. The players — Pat Williams and Kevin Williams of the Minnesota Vikings; Charles Grant, Deuce McAllister and Will Smith of the New Orleans Saints; and Bryan Pittman of the Houston Texans — tested positive for diuretics, which can serve as masking agents for steroids.

The players will be eligible to return to action if their teams make the playoffs. A seventh player, Grady Jackson of Atlanta, was not suspended even though he initially tested positive for a diuretic. The league is gathering more information about Jackson.

At least some of the players took an over-the-counter weight-loss supplement, marketed under the name StarCaps, that contained the banned diuretic bumetanide, which did not appear on the product’s label. The N.F.L. has warned players about using unapproved supplements, and has long held that players are responsible for what they put in their bodies.

In the announcement of the suspensions, the N.F.L. said that the steroid program’s independent administrator, Dr. John Lombardo, sent notifications in December 2006 mentioning StarCaps to the front offices and trainers for teams, and to the players union telling them that the company that distributes StarCaps had been added to the list of prohibited dietary supplement companies.

But the lawyer for the three Saints players, David Cornwell, contended that Lombardo did not disclose that he had specific information about StarCaps. And he said that the three players would seek further action. The most likely option is for the players to seek an injunction that would allow them to continue to play. But if the suspensions are delayed and the N.F.L.’s decision is upheld, the players would have to serve their bans during postseason games, if their teams qualify.

“Deuce, Will, and Charles did not try to enhance their performance with steroids, nor did they knowingly expose themselves to the adverse health risks of a diuretic,” Cornwell said in a statement. He added that considering “Dr. Lombardo’s specific, but undisclosed knowledge that StarCaps contained bumetanide, it is grossly unfair that Deuce, Will, and Charles are the only ones that must bear a burden.”

The team that stands to suffer the greatest loss is the Vikings. Pat and Kevin Williams are Pro Bowl tackles and the cornerstones of the defense. The Vikings have a one-game lead over Chicago in the National Football Conference North. In a brief statement, the Vikings said they were “very disappointed” with the N.F.L.’s decision. The team owner Zygi Wilf accompanied the Williamses to their appeal hearing in New York.

The tests that the players failed were taken in training camp or shortly thereafter. The N.F.L. said that the logistics of gathering so many people for hearings was part of the reason the appeals progress extended so far into the season.

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